The Pros and Cons of Marketing Through the Seasons By Patricia Baronowski-Schneider,CEO, Pristine Advisers

Obviously one of the biggest pros of the summer months in general is the warm weather, abundant sunshine and longer days. The sun tends to bring out the best in most people. After spending the winter months indoors, away from the cold and 5 pm darkness, most people look forward to the summer. No more jackets, we now have sunshine until after 8 pm, birds chirping, beaches and pools are open…..it is a glorious time.

During the winter, it seems many tempers run high. People are tired of the cold, the lack of sun causes depression in many people, flu season comes in full force, the indoor offices with windows shut makes one person with the flu become an entire office with the flu, traveling on the trains and buses in heavy coats is also burdensome….how many mornings are we late for work because we had to shovel our cars out or public transportation was massively delayed due to weather…..it is overall not a fun time.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I loathe the winter and look forward to the spring/summer/fall season. I am just happier overall, full of energy, excited to see the sun and enjoy going out to lunch and seeing so many smiling faces enjoying the warm weather.

When I call clients, prospective clients and even vendors during the summer months – there is a different sound to everyone’s voices. They are more upbeat, more energized, more alive. Everyone seems happier.

I’ve done some research over the years in terms of marketing during the seasons and the results are not surprising. It often amazes me the level of hostility some people hold towards other human beings when the weather is not at its best. I was always raised to treat people the way one would want to be treated ourselves. I also never hold myself above anyone else. Sadly, the winter months bring out the worst in some people. I send out marketing letters and emails all year long. Let’s face it, every business needs to market themselves to remain competitive in the marketplace. That is how we grow and thrive in this world. I receive a ton of marketing materials myself from vendors and if I am not interested or it is not applicable to me, I simply reply kindly with a simple note, “thank you kindly, however, we have no interest at this time. Best of luck to you.”

Ironically, during the winter months, should my marketing email fall on the desk of someone who is not interested in my services, I am sometimes baffled at the replies I get. Some are too vulgar to quote in this post, and others are just rude and condescending. I often wonder, when did we become so mean? When did it become ok to talk to others this way? It is never ok, yet I wonder if it is just the gloomy winter that causes people to forget their manners and just be, well, mean.

Now on the other hand, when the sun is shining bright and birds are chirping and everyone is venturing back outside again after the long winter months, peoples moods and attitudes seem to change. The same emails and letters that I send, if they are to land on someone’s desk who is not interested during the warm weather months, I am greeted with a simple reply of, “no thank you” or “please remove me from your distribution list, much thanks," etc.

Now don’t get me wrong, not everyone encounters this behavior and not everyone reacts this way, but in my twenty-five years in the IR/PR/Marketing industry, I have encountered these scenarios every single year and it has just made me aware. I try and alter my marketing notes during the winter to be a little more upbeat. If I can make just one person smile with them, then I am happy – even if they are not interested in our services.

Everyone has something to offer, from the pizza shop, to the tailors, to the local clothing store, to the marketing firm just trying to make a living by explaining what services they offer in the hopes that we can assist you marketing your product or firm to the best of our ability. If it is something that interests you, that is wonderful. If it is not, that is ok too – we understand that not everyone requires this type of service. But always try and take a breath before responding negatively to someone. Everyone is just trying to do a job and no matter what position you hold in your business or in life, it is never ok to treat people poorly. There are three things in human life that are important: the first is to be kind, the second is to be kind and the third is to be kind.

I was always taught that if you work hard, and be kind – amazing things will happen. That couldn’t be truer. I am always kind, always willing to help others and always give 150% of myself to my clients. We have been in the business for over 25 years and our client accolades are true testimonials of how amazing things can be. Our business is thriving and we continue to love the work that we do. If it’s “not for you," that’s ok too. If you are not happy that we knocked on your door, just smile and know that you made a new friend anyway. You never know when contacts can be useful to you one day. Don’t be so quick to throw people out and slam the door behind them.